Sign language for divers

[mrmagoo560]

I just replied to a post which was a question "would you understand my hand signals" and felt my response worthy of starting a new thread.
I have a son that is deaf and I have been using sign language for 25 years.
At my LDS 3 couples that were taking the OW class were introduced to me and told that I could teach them sign language,they declined saying the basic hand signals they learned in class were enough.Then when they were taking their open water check out dive I was also there for my AOW dives and my daughter was snorkeling,they saw us underwater signing and as soon as I came up and got out of the water they asked me if I would still consider teaching them sign language.I taught them sign for over a year and they loved it,and told me it was incredible how much better is was being able to communicate like that.Not just basic signals,but a conversation about something they see.
There are books everywhere and classes in alot of community colleges,and it is standardized so if it catches on you can communicate with divers from across the country in ways that surpass basic hand signals.

 

[WVMike]

I am interested. I have just started learning ASL and am seeing some possibilities. I did not start the process because of scuba, but could see counting being more usefull than what is taught and also how finger spelling could be helpfull.

Do you do cold water diving and if so, do heavy gloves interfere? I was thinking that could be a problem as well as using the signs at various parts of the body.

Anyhow, I would like to hear more of how you use sign language in your diving.

 

[Rainer]

For the most part, I really enjoy the general lack of "chatter" underwater. I know I'd HATE diving if audio communication between divers was made possible in our team. Basic communication will always be necessary, but our "standard" hand signals cover the vast majority of those situations quite well. On the rare occurrence where more linguistic detail is needed, we just pull out the wetnotes and write down what we want to communicate. Talking, however, whether through an auditory or visual modality, just isn't something I want to bring to my own diving. I'd much rather enjoy the peacefulness of the underwater realm, and then talk all about it topside once the dive is over.

 

[seaducer]

My wife used to know sign, if she had gotten certified we were going to learn so it would be easier for me to communicate with her underwater.

If more people took up the practice I would be interested, but I am not going to pay for a class I will most likely never use and thus forget. It is a great idea though...

edit to add there is a class called Sea Signs which is quite involved from what I understand.

 

[pjones]

After my wife and I got certified we discussed learning Sign language. It's still on the wish list of things to do but haven't had the time to do it yet. It is soon to come though.

 

[Ottoman Diver]

I would not mind learning ASL as long as i had some one to communicate with it would make some stuff extremely efficient

 

[mrmagoo560]

You can simply get a book on sign language and just start with small steps to get the basic signs you would use most often and build up from there.It is a very long process to learn any language,but that is not really what I meant with this posting.I just wanted people to consider learning the basics to help with their diving and just use the standardized sign language as the basis on which to build upon because there are so many learning aids available.

 

[abnjim]

i feel asl is a great addition to any divers arsenal but especialy for divers who may be preforming any task underwater or diving in potentially dangerous conditions, but for the scuba tourist who only dives on vacation it's probably not practical,
not only in time and money invested but like many other things if you don't use it you loose it

 

[wcbdiver]

Hi

I agree, as I work with an AGA with full audio, and I often tell them to stop talking to me, so I hear ya.

For the most part, I really enjoy the general lack of "chatter" underwater. I know I'd HATE diving if audio communication between divers was made possible in our team. Basic communication will always be necessary, but our "standard" hand signals cover the vast majority of those situations quite well. On the rare occurrence where more linguistic detail is needed, we just pull out the wetnotes and write down what we want to communicate. Talking, however, whether through an auditory or visual modality, just isn't something I want to bring to my own diving. I'd much rather enjoy the peacefulness of the underwater realm, and then talk all about it topside once the dive is over.

 

[g1138]

The problem with ASL is that you need 2 hands to communicate certain meanings. If you're doing a night dive or a low viz cold water dive, you're not going to be able to
a) use 2 hands
b) find enough contrast between your hands and the environment (ie. black on black neoprene)

I think it's a nice idea though for certain situations. But one can always get by with basic hand signals and some wetnotes if need be.